Ten Days
by GeekyDollie
Summary: Elizabeth awakes as a prisoner in a cold cell. Her people have no idea where she is. Will she lose hope? JohnElizabeth
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Ten Days  
Chapter: **1  
**Author:** GeekyDollie  
**Date:** 2006

**Summary:** Elizabeth awakes as a prisoner in a cold cell. Her people have no idea where she is. Will she lose hope?

**Spoilers:** The Eye, The Storm, and Coup D'Etat

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and the characters belong to TPTB of the Stargate franchise.

* * *

Elizabeth awoke lying on a cold hard surface she couldn't identify. Her sore muscles kept her from moving just yet, although the discomfort of her position caused a raspy moan to escape her parched lips. Slowly, she turned. Her hand pressing down to raise herself told her she was on a grimy concrete floor. Her other hand reached up to brush at the strands of hair and dirt stuck to her cheek. Elizabeth's fingers stopped when she felt the painful, sticky, telltale signs of blood on her left temple. 

Sitting up now, she attempted to pull her shirt sleeve up to her face to dab at the wound.

Right hand contacted the bare skin of her left arm.

Gasping, she suddenly realized she was sitting there completely naked. A shiver went through her body. Whether from modesty or cold, Elizabeth instinctively wrapped her arms around herself.

A knot in her stomach paralyzed her in this position. She was cold, shivering, and starting to feel physically sick at the thought of how she came to be lying naked on the ground. Her eyes slowly took in her surroundings. To her side, was the unmistakable bars that was meant to keep her prisoner. To her right, in dimmer light, was a cot. Scrambling to her knees she half crawled, half reached to tear the blanket off the cot. The blanket was hard and scratchy, but Elizabeth wrapped it around herself, and it was warm. She lowered herself to sit on the edge in a daze.

She felt tears sting her eyes as her mind imagined the possibilities of how she came to be like this. Horrific imagery of her captors filled her clouded memory.

"Elizabeth. Stop. Think. What was the last thing you remember?" she choked out to herself. Her raspy voice shocked her more than calmed her.

_A negotiation. She was walking towards the city with John Sheppard's team, and they were going to negotiate a trade with the new government of the Genii. They would offer medical assistance, and the Genii promised new information about the Wraith they had received from their friends off-world. Then what? Elizabeth scrunched her brow in frustration. She couldn't remember… she was admiring the flowers along the path…_

_A flash. There was a flash of light around her and a loud crack in the air that she could feel as deep as her bones. Then another. She looked in horror as her team fell around her and lay prone on the grass. Before she could even turn, get up, and think about looking for help, she felt arms grab her and her world went dark._

_A hard chair. She awoke in a hard chair, still groggy. She must have been drugged. Two large men entered the room. She tried to ask questions. Demanded her whereabouts. Insisted on speaking with the leader of the Genii. But her pleas were ignored._

_The men approached without a word, only throwing a knowing glance at each other. One lifted her roughly by her shoulders, and she knew her writhing to get away from his grip was futile. The other roughly unzipped her jacket and tore her clothes off. Elizabeth screamed, kicked, and tried to free herself but to no avail. Tears stung her eyes in anger and humiliation, but she set her jaw in defiance. She knew what was coming. _

_But instead of assaulting her there, she was caught off guard when the two dragged her out of the room and down a dark hall. At the end of a hall was a small enclosure with bars. Damned if she was going to be locked up, she tried to run. But with her minimal self-defense training, she couldn't get away and was rewarded by a fist contacting her left temple. Elizabeth fell to her knees, seeing stars. She felt hands drag her up and push her into the small prison before stumbling to the cold floor. And her world went dark again. _

"Okay. So you weren't raped. Just roughed up a little. Completely humiliated, but overall physically okay." Elizabeth quickly checked herself for injuries, but the sound of footfalls coming towards her cell captured her attention.

Standing before her were the two men she had already met. Closest to her was a younger man in a green vest. He couldn't be much older than 20.He reached between the bars and threw a bundle towards her.

"Put this on," he glared at her before turning to leave.

"Wait," Elizabeth scrambled to her feet "What do you want from me?"

The man turned back.

"What do you want from me?" Elizabeth demanded again as she started to unfold the bundle. It was a beige tunic. She quickly pulled it over her head. The bottom hem ended just mid-thigh, but nevertheless, she was thankful for the garment. She wrapped the blanket around herself again.

"It's what we _don't_ want from you," he spat in disgust. "Ladon doesn't speak for all of us."

"Who are you?"

"I am Corun." That was all he said before glaring at her in disdain and walking away.

oOoOo

"_Colonel Sheppard!"_

_John squinted at the sunshine in his eyes. He moaned and rolled to his side feeling every joint in his body ache. Teyla's voice calling him brought him back to the present. There was an attack._

"_Colonel!" Teyla called again. _

_John sat up and surveyed the situation. His team was lying on the ground around him. Teyla was slowly getting up and heading towards McKay. _

"_Ronon!" John shook the man to his left. Seeing him rouse, he looked around for Elizabeth. His heart dropped when he realized that she wasn't amongst them. "Where's Elizabeth?"_

"_I need help over here!" Teyla called for them. She was kneeling over Rodney, her hands pressing on his ribs. A red stain marred the fabric of his jacket. _

"_She's not here," Ronon had quickly sized up the situation. _

"_Shit." John's attention was divided. "We need to get Rodney back to the gate. I'll stay to look for Elizabeth."_

"_No," Ronon nodded towards the distance. "You are outnumbered by the men at the treeline. You won't get far."_

_As if hearing Ronon's comment, gunfire rang out from the edge of the forest. More than several men appeared and started for their position._

"_Shit." John bit his lip. "Fall back. Head for the gate. We'll have to come back with reinforcements to look for Elizabeth." _

_ooo_

"_Get Dr. Beckett down here!" John yelled as soon as his team came through the gate. _

_Major Lorne ran down the stairs from the command center to meet them. _

"_Where is Dr. Weir?" he looked around at the team in confusion._

"_We were ambushed. Elizabeth is still somewhere on the planet." John watched as the medics lifted Rodney onto a gurney and Teyla explained to Carson what had happened. "Get your team together. We'll meet in ten." _

_ooo_

John walked away from the infirmary where Rodney was being attended to by Carson and his team. He was assured that the scientist was in serious condition, but would be fine. His thoughts now turned to the ambush and Elizabeth.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second at the totally screwed up situation. He was responsible for escorting Elizabeth to meet with Ladon, and what does he do? He loses her. She rarely left the city as it was, and the one time his team accompanies her, he loses her.

What had Elizabeth said when Ladon came into power? That the new regime usually turns out just as bad or worse than the old regime?

He was going to fucking kill Ladon if he had done anything to Elizabeth.

* * *

TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Ten Days  
Chapter: **2  
**Author:** GeekyDollie  
**Date:** 2006

**Summary:** Elizabeth awakes as a prisoner in a cold cell. Her people have no idea where she is. Will she lose hope?

**Spoilers:** The Eye, The Storm, and Coup D'Etat

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and the characters belong to TPTB of the Stargate franchise.

* * *

"Get up!" 

Elizabeth started at the loud banging on the bars meant to rouse her. She must have fallen asleep. The meager rations they had provided her left her weak and exhausted. She had lost count of how long she had been here. All she knew was that every so often someone would come to check on her, and no one wanted to answer her questions.

"Get up! You have someone here to see you," she could see Corun just outside her cell. Another figure stood in the shadow slightly behind him, but Elizabeth couldn't see the face. Hiding her weariness, she approached the new visitor with as much confidence as she could muster.

The second figure that stepped forward made Elizabeth's breath catch. Her blonde curls and dark eyes were unmistakable. Sora.

"Doctor Weir," her voice dripped with loathing.

"Sora?"

"How does it feel? Trapped in a cell like you had me for months?"

"Sora, we didnt…"

"Shut up!"

"What do you want with me? Where are my people?"

"Well, we would have much preferred Dr. McKay, but since he was killed in the attack I guess you will have to do."

"Killed?" Elizabeth gasped. "The others?"

"They suffered a similarly untimely end."

Elizabeth stumbled backward slightly, unwilling to believe that she was the sole survivor of the team.

"Then what do you want?" her voice sounded hollow to her own ears.

"What do we want? Well, one thing at a time. First, you are going to help us by telling me your access code to the Atlantis gate." Sora held up her IDC.

"WHAT? Our people are allies."

"No. You are allies with Ladon, a traitor to the Genii. Cowan may no longer be in power, but his legacy lives on."

"Through you."

"Yes. And when I have captured Atlantis, I will continue his and my father's work of uniting our friends on other planets under the government of the Genii."

"You can't possibly believe that taking me hostage will accomplish your goals. My people will come looking for me. Ladon was expecting to speak with us."

"Not if they think you're dead."

"They won't accept that without evidence."

"That can be arranged," Sora called down the hallway and a guard came dragging a young girl. The girl had chains on her wrists and ankles – obviously another prisoner – and was too weak to struggle. The guard bought the prisoner to stand in front of Sora and proceeded to undo the chains. Sora, shoved a grey garment into the girl's hands. "Put this on."

Even the sharp motion of Sora pushing towards her made the weakened girl falter. Hands trembling, the girl unraveled the cloth revealing a jacket with red panels… Elizabeth's jacket.

"You don't have to do this!" Elizabeth called out to her and approached the bars.

"Do it!" Sora growled. The girl looked up in fear and slowly put the jacket on. Sora signaled for the guard to come forward. "Kill her."

"No!" Elizabeth gripped the bars and appealed to Sora.

"Then tell me what I want to know. I was on Atlantis long enough to know that you have more powerful weapons now, and I want them. Give me your access codes."

"You know I won't tell you that."

"Do it!" she glared at the guard.

"Sora, you said no one would get hurt," Corun stepped forward, but Sora stood her ground as if she hadn't heard him.

"Please… you don't have to do this." Elizabeth cried out helplessly.

Her heart caught as the guard seemed to hesitate for a moment, only to watch horrifically as he lifted his weapon and fired point blank at the girl. The sound of the weapon was deafening in the echo of the cell. Elizabeth gasped as the blast felled the girl in a heap at Sora's feet. The sound of the body hitting the ground sickened her.

"Take her clothes." Sora ordered the guard. Immediately, the guard knelt and stripped the girl of Elizabeth's now bloodstained jacket. "Take it to Ladon as proof that Elizabeth is dead."

"Sora, you didn't have to do this." Elizabeth tried to compose herself enough to talk, but her voice sounded hollow. "This doesn't prove anything."

"Maybe not. But when we are done here, I promise, your people will have your body as proof."

oOoOo

John sat at Elizabeth's desk. He stared blankly at the computer screen that showed Carson's report on Rodney's progress. He glanced at the clock at the corner of the screen for the hundredth time and wondered if Lorne's team would be late checking in.

Given the choice, he would have gone back through the gate to look for Elizabeth himself, but without her, it fell to him to take her responsibilities. Other teams were off world. There were other issues that needed his attention.

So he sat here pretending to work while trying the place his trust in Teyla, Ronon, and Lorne's team to bring her back. What it came down to, though, was that John wasn't a patient kind of guy when it came to things like this. He wanted to be out there doing something rather than the tactician behind a desk.

John leaned back in the chair… Elizabeth's chair… and scrubbed his hands across his face. If it was any other member of his team, he would be similarly concerned, wouldn't he? He was ultimately responsible for everyone on his team, and being the military leader of the expedition he was also technically responsible for all the team leaders and teams under him. But that never bothered him as much. When Lorne was missing, he wasn't staying up at night worrying like this, that's for sure. But why does this feel so different? That day out there, he was responsible for her too. But Elizabeth was his boss.

_Technically_, she's his boss, but it's been a long time since he's treated her like one. She believed in him. She trusted him more than anyone had since his tour in Afghanistan. She never once treated him like the screw up that he was. At first he was extremely flattered that she would confide in him with her decisions She didn't care about his past. She wanted him for his expertise. Now, he was sure that she came to him as a friend.

Perhaps it was inevitable that, out here in another galaxy, people would be drawn closer. Perhaps it was the constant pressure that they face. It wasn't like Afghanistan when you knew that your country was out there somewhere to back you up. Here, they were all alone, and they only really had each other.

All he knew was that somewhere along the line, Elizabeth had ceased to be just a superior to him. And he couldn't let her down.

John flung his head back and stared at the ceiling. How does she do this constantly? Sending him and his team out to potentially dangerous missions all the time? John furrowed his brow. Is this how she feels every time that he is in some unknown situation? Does she stay up waiting? Does she worry?

He was startled from his thoughts at the sound of the gate activating. John ran into the control room in time to see Lorne step through the gate followed by the rest of his team. It was painfully clear that Elizabeth was not among them. Lorne's face was wide-eyed with shock.

John ran down the stairs to meet them.

"Major, report!"

Lorne was silent. In his outstretched hand was the blood soaked jacket of Elizabeth Weir.

* * *

TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Ten Days  
Chapter: **3  
**Author:** GeekyDollie  
**Date:** 2006

**Summary:** Elizabeth awakes as a prisoner in a cold cell. Her people have no idea where she is. Will she lose hope?

**Spoilers:** The Eye, The Storm, and Coup D'Etat

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and the characters belong to TPTB of the Stargate franchise.

* * *

Elizabeth set her jaw defiantly and glared at Sora as the younger woman paced before her. This was the third time she had been set in the hard chair with her hands bound behind her. It must have been hours since she had given up struggling with the ties around her wrists, resigning to the fact that straining against them was only cutting into her skin rather than loosening them at all. Elizabeth was weary and hungry, but she refused to give Sora the satisfaction of the upper hand. 

"Let's start from the beginning," Sora's shrill voice echoed in the room. "What is the code for your IDC."

Elizabeth glared back silently. She had also stopped retorting to Sora's repetitive attempts to gain access and information to Atlantis. There were only so many ways to say that she wasn't going to give up the information, and Elizabeth was too tired to continue the argument. Sora's loud demands blurred in Elizabeth's ears until they simply did not form any coherent sense.

"Are you listening?" Sora standing directly in front of her brought her attention back for a moment.

"Look, I'm not going to give you the information, so you might as well give up."

"Kolya should have shot you when he had the chance." Sora was getting agitated. Her hands balled up into fists by her sides.

"And what? The city would have been destroyed, and we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"Shut up!" Sora whipped around violently. Her fist contacted the side of Elizabeth's head with enough force to nearly tip her from the chair. "I'm asking the questions."

Elizabeth's vision blurred from the acute pain in her head, and she tasted blood where her teeth cut the side of her cheek. She squinted her eyes closed at the dizziness, and it took her a moment before she could really react. The sound of theslamming door made her wince again. When she managed to open her eyes, she saw that Sora had gone for now.

She was alone in the empty room.

The pain of her head and her frustration welled up inside her now that no one was there to watch her. If she gave it more thought, she might believe for a moment how bleak the situation was, but she tried to push those thoughts away.

Tears prickled her eyes and she could not stop them from streaming down her face. Without the ability to wipe them away with her hands, Elizabeth only hoped that the tears would dry before Sora returned.

oOoOo

Hours later, Elizabeth sat on her cot with her blanket wrapped tightly around her, but it did nothing to stay the shivering of her body in the cold cell. The pain in her head was now a dull throb. She was tired, but couldn't sleep.

They had wanted Rodney. Probably because they knew he had scientific knowledge as well as intel about Atlantis. He could have been the one in this cell. He could have been the one that Sora interrogated for hours. He could be the one forced to watch the murder of the young girl. But, he could have been alive.

Teyla, Ronon, John…. She had watched them all taken down by the Genii blast. She wished that another of her team had survived and was here with her. Then maybe she might have a chance to fight her way out. Then maybe she wouldn't be so horrible outnumbered. Then maybe...

They couldn't be dead. She refused to believe it.

Elizabeth tried to fight the feeling of being utterly alone and defenseless. Nothing had prepared her for being taken captive. It was something she would see on CNN or hear as rumors via her colleagues in the government. Never had she imagined that she would be the one on the other side. And yet, here she was, a political hostage and none of her people knew where she was. At least she understood the culture of political negotiations back home. Here, everything she ever knew about how governments should operate and cultural differences were all nullified by the vast difference of how the people in the Pegasus Galaxy lived.

Elizabeth held onto the hope that her people would come look for her. They would find her, and she would return home. Someone had told her once that they don't leave people behind, and they have been living by that rule since.

Someone… John.

John. He couldn't be gone. She refused to believe it. He was probably mounting a rescueright now. Call it hopeful optimism, but she felt that he was still out there. If he was truly dead, there wouldn't be this… feeling… in her heart would there? No, she would hold onto that.

He would come for her. Any moment, he would appear at the door and take her away from here.

So Elizabeth listened.

She watched.

But hours turned into days, and with each visitor that wasn't John Sheppard, she slowly wondered if her hope had been misplaced.

* * *

TBC 


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Ten Days  
Chapter: **4  
**Author:** GeekyDollie  
**Date:** 2006

**Summary:** Elizabeth awakes as a prisoner in a cold cell. Her people have no idea where she is. Will she lose hope?

**Spoilers:** The Eye, The Storm, and Coup D'Etat

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and the characters belong to TPTB of the Stargate franchise.

* * *

_Elizabeth…_

Elizabeth awoke in the dim light, thinking she heard her name. Turning her head, she looked to the door of the cell.

_Elizabeth…_

She saw a silhouetted figure approaching her. Still reeling from the shooting of the girl and the interrogations, Elizabeth shifted away slightly.

The shape of him… his walk, his voice… sounded so familiar.

"John?" her tentative voice was barely a whisper. He was at her side now. And she could see his face.

Elizabeth tried to scramble to a sitting position. She wanted to touch him, to feel the warmth of him… something to calm the chill she felt in her heart. He reached out for her, and when his hand contacted her shoulder her steadfast façade crumbled. His other hand caressed the side of her face as he laid her back onto the cot. Elizabeth's breaths were short, and she fought against the impending tears as she looked into John's face with wild eyes.

"John…"

His thumb traced across her cheekbone before his hand combed through her hair.

"John… did you see? The girl. They killed her." Elizabeth raised a trembling hand to grasp his, the memory too fresh in her mind. "John. Oh God, they…"

"They brought us the jacket," John nodded. "Don't think about it right now. You're ok. We'll get you out of here."

He was so confident there beside her. At this moment, he was her strength, and he was here with her.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and felt the comfort of his fingers tracing across her face, her hair,… her mouth. She felt the warmth of his skin near her face, and then felt his lips softly on hers. Her heart was calmed; her trembling subsided.

Elizabeth was lost in the sensation of his fingers and the caresses of his lips before she realized that she was kissing John Sheppard. She was no longer in the chill darkness of her cell. She was standing under the evening stars on the balcony in Atlantis with the balmy summer air blowing through her hair. The rough woolen blanket she had wrapped around her was gone, and the warmth that was John enveloped her. She was safe. She was home.

Elizabeth sighed as John pulled away from her. Her mind's eye still envisioning the peaceful scene as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Elizabeth…"

Her eyes opened to the dark prison. She reached out to her side to recapture John's hand… and felt the cold rough fabric where he should have been. She glanced to her side and only saw the shadows on the concrete wall. An icy realization crept up her spine and throughout her body. It wasn't real. John was never here. Had she wanted him to find her so much that her exhausted mind dreamed him? Maybe so, but she hadn't imagined hearing her name.

"Elizabeth…"

She rose from the cot and turned to the voice.

"It's me, Corun," he placed a tray with meager rations at the other end of her bed.

"Thank you," Elizabeth eyed him when he hesitated in leaving.The young man seemed to stand contemplating what to do next. Maybe this time she could get him to talk. "Corun, how many of you are in Sora's resistance?"

"Several dozen, but our numbers are growing."

"And you all are opposed to Ladon?"

"We believed in Cowan's leadership. He saved us from the last culling. Ladon refuses to see the larger issues."

"The Wraith."

"Ladon's government will provide for the Genii to live in comfort and health, but we know it will only benefit the Wraith when they come again. Without uniting our friends from other worlds, our defenses against the Wraith are weak. Ladon has been so obsessed with erasing Cowan's legacy that he is blind to these things."

"There must be other means to convince Ladon to listen to your concerns without resorting to… this." Elizabeth motions to the surroundings.

"He would never willingly open discussion with Sora. Maybe at one time they would have seen eye to eye, but now he thinks she's a radical."

"Then maybe to another? Maybe you. There is no need to perpetuate the violence."

Elizabeth observed him as he paused. He looked away from her towards the other wall. In the dim light, he seemed so young.

"I didn't know Sora was going to kill the girl. She told me that she wouldn't kill like Cowan."

"Then stand up to her. Let me help you." Elizabeth met his eyes carefully, seeing a conflicted boy under such a tough exterior. She wondered what Sora must have said to him to make him believe her plan.

"Sora will kill me. Even without me, she has many sympathetic to her cause. Some will do anything to gain her favor."

Elizabeth carefully considered her next words. She knew Corun was her best hope for getting out of here. She was surprised, however, when he sat down next to her on the cot.

"One of your teams from Atlantis has come through the Ring of the Ancestors several times," Corun whispered and glanced toward the hallway to make sure no one was listening. "Sora has posted her guards to ambush them if they get too close to this complex."

Elizabeth's eyes widened at the news, and Corun continued.

"While I do not agree with all of Sora's methods, I stand steadfast to my belief that we must be heard. If I can alert your people, will you take our cause to Ladon?"

"If you can get me out of here, I will do what I can to make sure you are heard."

"I can't promise that I will be successful," Corun stood suddenly and headed for the door.

"Nor can I," Elizabeth admitted.

"Someone's coming." He slipped out of the cell and met her eyes quickly before slamming the cell door.

That was the last time Elizabeth saw Corun come to her cell.

* * *

TBC 


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Ten Days  
Chapter: **5  
**Author:** GeekyDollie  
**Date:** 2006

**Summary:** Elizabeth awakes as a prisoner in a cold cell. Her people have no idea where she is. Will she lose hope?

**Spoilers:** The Eye, The Storm, and Coup D'Etat

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and the characters belong to TPTB of the Stargate franchise.

* * *

Elizabeth had no idea how many hours or days had passed since her conversation with Corun. Sora had continued to come demand information from her, and she returned to her cell often too exhausted to eat the food left for her. When she slept, she dreamed of her people coming to find her; she dreamed of being back at Atlantis. She could hear their voices, see their faces, feel their touch. Elizabeth dreaded waking and finding that her mind had only tricked her with a fantasy. 

If her people were to find her, they would have come by now, wouldn't they?

oOoOo

John roughly tugged the zipper of his vest upwards and clipped his P-90. He had reached the limit of his patience. Ladon had been absolutely useless in helping them locate Elizabeth. He continually claimed he had no idea where she was, and denied that he had any leads. Lorne's team had turned up nothing other than the false evidence on Elizabeth's jacket the first day.

He was tired of waiting.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ronon power up his weapon.

In the distance he saw a man approaching with his hands stretched over his head. A Genii.

oOoOo

John followed Corun towards an innocent looking barn, his P-90 close to his chest. Close behind were Teyla, Ronon, and several of Ladon's men, who Ladon had finally agreed and sent with them. Ronon had already been indispensable at taking down Sora's lookouts silently. As they approached the wooden fence of the livestock pen, they stealthily approached it.

"Thru the door of the barn, there is a passage that goes underground and then a stairwell down to the compound where they are keeping Dr. Weir," Corun informed John. John peeked through the slats in the fence and surveyed the area.

John turned back and selected a few of Ladon's men to team with him. He nodded to Corun to have him stay back with Ronon and Teyla. Now prepared, they made their way towards the barn.

oOoOo

She jolted awake at the sound of commotion down the hallway. She could hear it, but not see far enough to see what was going on. Voices were yelling loudly and chaotic sounds of the scuffling of people and objects moving carried into her cell. A moment later, Elizabeth recognized the sound of gunfire. The sound of the weapons was deafening to her and the people sounded as if they were heading her way. Without the strength to fight, she backed away to the far wall.

oOoOo

John ducked back behind the door leading out of the underground stairwell just before gunfire impacted the wall close to him. In front of him, he saw one of Ladon's men fall as another shot caught the man in the chest. Beside him, Ronon stepped forward and felled several of Sora's people.

Entering the compound, they quickly found cover in the room. Sora stepped forward for a moment to fire. Her innocent slight build and curly blonde hair was in stark contrast to her hardened expression and confident stance. Two men were stationed to either side of her. Behind John, Corun shifted.

"Corun!" Sora's hissed at his betrayal, and just barely missed his shoulder with a bullet.

"It's over Sora," Corun fired several shots.

"You wouldn't dare betray me!"

"I know you want change for our people, but we don't need to take hostages to do it."

"These people can't be trusted, Corun," she spat.

"These people are going to help us talk to Ladon."

At this moment John chose to move forward and drew the fire of one of Sora's men. Ducking down fast, he rolled towards an overturned table to avoid the blasts. The firefight continued on both sides.

"You think _these_ people really want to help us?" Sora yelled back.

"Yes. Ladon has already agreed."

"Cowan always thought you were too trusting for your own good." She fired several rounds at Corun. "If you want to betray me, I don't need you!"

Corun's weapon clicked a telltale sound signaling that he was out of ammunition. His eyes focussed on Sora who had him directly in the line of fire.

Suddenly, a shot caught her in the wrist and her bullets sparked against the ceiling, narrowly missing the lights. John and Ronon took this opportunity to move forward to catch the two men off guard. John easily subdued one, while Ronon swiftly kicked the pistol out of the other's hand, and threw an uppercut that left the man unconscious on the ground. Both looked up just in time to see Sora on the ground, hands tied, with Teyla's knee on her back. Teyla nodded, and they moved into the corridor.

oOoOo

Elizabeth was huddled on the floor against the wall when she saw three figures approach her cell. They seemed to be looking into each room with their weapons ready. She held her breath as they passed by. Two of them had already passed, when the tallest of the group paused in front of her. He was still hidden in the shadows, so she couldn't make out his features.

"In here," the figure called out for the others to come back. His voice sounded familiar to Elizabeth, but after so many comings and goings from her cell and the numerous dreams she'd been having, she quickly dismissed the thought.

"Elizabeth?" another voice called out. This one also familiar.

She watched cautiously as they worked the lock on the door. The third member of the group stood guard slightly further in the shadows.

"Elizabeth, stay where you are," the second voice called out again and backed away slightly from the door. She watched, too weary to do otherwise.

Suddenly, a bright flash and a loud bang filled the small room and the door sprang open. Elizabeth ducked her head and closed her eyes instinctively. Her breath caught at the intensity of the blast. She felt hands take hold of her shoulders.

"Elizabeth? … Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She opened her eyes and saw… no… it couldn't be. Before her was a man wearing a uniform, black vest with a P-90 on a clip. Even with the patches removed, it was unmistakable as an Atlantis uniform. She felt his hand touch her face gingerly.

Elizabeth stared at him blankly without focus in her eyes. She might have recognized the face, but her mind would not allow her to believe. She'd believed too many times in her dreams and had been disappointed too many times.

"Elizabeth?" he kept calling her name.

"No," she whispered to herself and pushed him away. "You're not real."

"I'm real. I promise." His hands smoothed back her hair to look in her eyes, but she still refused to look at him.

"No." her hands weakly fought him away.

"Elizabeth, look at me," he pleaded quietly. Very slowly she lifted her eyes. And very slowly her she recognized.

"John?" she finally managed. Her voice was almost a whisper. John winced at how withdrawn and exhausted she looked. Her hands were feather light as she raised them to grasp his arms.

Elizabeth could hardly bring herself to touch his face, in case she would awake and find herself in another dream. But finally her hands reached his warm cheeks and brushed against his soft hair, and he was real. More real than any of her dreams ever seemed. Her heart nearly stopped.

"John," her soft voice cracked with emotion. This was it. They had found her. He had found her.

"Colonel," came a warning from outside the cell. Teyla was signaling that others were coming.

"Can you walk?" John gently helped her stand and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders to cover her slight tunic.

Ronon, looking over doubtfully, approached the pair. In an easy movement, he had lifted Elizabeth into his arms.

"I'll carry her. Let's move."

John looked Elizabeth over one more time before turning, and the group proceeded to make their escape.

For the first time in a long time, Elizabeth felt safe. She was going back to Atlantis.

She was going home.

* * *

TBC 

A/N: There is one more part to wrap up this story. I just want to thank everyone who has left comments and enjoyed this fic so far. xoxo - GeekyDollie


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Ten Days  
Chapter: **6  
**Author:** GeekyDollie  
**Date:** 2006

**Summary:** Elizabeth awakes as a prisoner in a cold cell. Her people have no idea where she is. Will she lose hope?

**Spoilers:** The Eye, The Storm, and Coup D'Etat

**Disclaimer:** Stargate Atlantis and the characters belong to TPTB of the Stargate franchise.

* * *

"Doctor, she's waking up." 

Elizabeth opened her eyes and found Teyla calling for Carson. Beside her John was sitting up in a chair by her bedside, and Ronon hopped off an examination table from across the room.

"Elizabeth, how are you feeling?" Carson quickly approached the side of her bed and checked her vitals.

"Tired," a small smile brightened her features. She looked around at the group noting a missing member of the team. "Rodney?"

"He was injured in the initial blast. He's going to be okay." Carson nodded towards a bed across the room. Elizabeth glanced over to where he was indicating.

"I thought maybe…. They told me all of you were dead."

"The blast stunned us only momentarily. We awoke to find you gone with no indication of what had happened to you." Teyla explained. "Rodney was severely injured and men were approaching our position, so we brought him back to Atlantis before starting a search for you."

"Ladon was no help at all, until we met Corun who told us of Sora and where you were being held." John continued.

"Corun!" Elizabeth's eyes widened, "I promised him that we would help him bring their issues to Ladon."

"It's done. He explained everything to us. Ladon's men took Sora into custody, and Ladon set up a meeting with Corun this afternoon."

Elizabeth nodded, satisfied for now. After her ordeal, she was glad that she was home finally.

"How long was I there?"

"Ten days."

Ten days. Elizabeth closed her eyes. It had felt like weeks.

oOoOo

Elizabeth didn't hear the sound of footfalls behind her as she leaned against the edge of the balcony railing and stared at the expanse of water below. She just let the ocean breeze ruffle her hair as she pulled her black jacket around her a little tighter. On the horizon, the moon was just beginning to rise in the dark star-filled sky. Every reflection on the water seemed like little flames dancing to the rhythm of the water washing against the walls of the city.

A knock on the door leading back into the hallway and the call of her name caught her attention. Elizabeth immediately recognized the silhouette of John Sheppard, even though she couldn't see his backlit figure clearly.

"Hey." It was just his simple acknowledgement that he'd found her there. He stepped out onto the balcony without invitation. Not that he needed that invitation verbalized.

"Hi." The breeze whipped Elizabeth's hair across her face, and she turned back to the ocean where the weather and her hair were more co-operative. She felt John's warmth as he matched her position at the railing and tried to follow her gaze to whatever imaginary point that seemed to have captivated her.

"Carson finally let you out?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth glanced at him briefly before returning to her observation of the ocean.

They stood like that for a moment before John gently bumped his shoulder against hers to get her attention.

"You okay?" he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She mustered a small smile in response. It was neither an affirmative, nor a negative answer to his question. Just some response. Something she could give as an answer without having to go into any more depth… without having to think in any more depth.

That made John study her a little more closely as he searched her face for clues of what she was not saying. Elizabeth felt his eyes on her but refused to look back. He knew that she always had an answer or opinion for everything, so a non-committal response like this was not what he's expected. At the very least, he thought she would blow off his question with a simple "fine".

"So whatcha doing out here?" he decided on another approach.

"I couldn't sleep." Elizabeth didn't look away from the water. "I guess I just came out for some fresh air."

"Ah."

"What are _you_ doing here? It must be, what, 3 or 4 in the morning now?"

"Couldn't sleep." John flashed her a wry grin. "Actually... I was just walking by, and I saw you out here."

"Well I didn't think anyone would find me here. Not at this hour anyway." She assumed she could be alone with her thoughts tonight. Now that he was standing there beside her though, she realized that the distraction was not exactly unwelcome.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" John half expected her to say yes, but her body language read otherwise.

"Not really."

"Ok." John's brow furrowed trying to find the right thing to say, and kicked himself for suddenly blurting out something trite. "You did good out there, Elizabeth. I don't think anyone else could have handled it any differently."

At least that got a response out of her. She immediately turned and raised an eyebrow at his incredibly cliché statement. But then her expression changed and she looked away pensively.

"I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I truly believed we could have just walked right in there to meet Ladon with no trouble." Her voice softened. If it wasn't for the quietness of night, John may not have really heard her. "I was just so damned naïve."

"No you weren't," he was quick to dismiss that assumption. "None of us knew that Sora was mounting her own rebellion. Not even Ladon had any idea."

"Maybe if I had fought harder… maybe if I could have made a better effort to run for it."

"And do what? Do you think that you could have fought off these guys by yourself in that situation? You read the situation, and you made the best decisions you could."

"I would hardly call that the best. God, John, do you even know what it was like down there?" Her voice was tight. Her eyes shone as she blinked back the memories. "Tell me it was the best decision to have Sora imprison me, humiliate me, completely strip me of my sense of reality…"

"Elizabeth…"

"She made me think that I was alone down there. That no one was going to come looking for me. That all of you were dead. That either I give up the information, or she would continue to torment me or kill me. Tell me that THAT was the best decision instead of fighting when I had the chance!" She was visibly upset now. Anguish running down her cheeks as the emotion of the last few weeks broke though her usual façade. "I should have…"

"Elizabeth. Listen to yourself." John gripped her shoulders fiercely, and pulled her to him. She was tense in his arms, but she was silent at the sudden contact. "You can't change what happened. You can't let yourself second-guess at every decision, it will just make you crazy. What matters is that it turned out ok."

"Maybe this time."

"Then we learn."

Her arms came around his back and gripped the fabric of his T-shirt as she stepped closer and hid her face in his chest. She didn't want him to see her tears, but he could feel them in her shaky breaths. His arms surrounded her more securely. Gradually he felt her relax and lean into him.

"You know, I would have never left you there." John told her softly.

"I know." Her voice was almost a whisper. "You never leave people behind. You told me that once."

"I'm sorry it took so long."

"I know." She gripped him tighter, and her voice wavered. "You did the best you could."

John grinned ironically at the turnabout.

"I think just believing that you would find me gave me some sort of hope." Elizabeth admitted after a moment. "I kept thinking I might be able to get through just one more hour, one more day, because at any moment you would come through that door and find me."

"Did you ever think that we might not?" John watched her eyes turn more honest than he'd ever seen.

"Just before you came... I thought... I honestly thought that maybe..." she couldn't actually bring herself to say it.

"I'm glad you are okay." John made his admission after a moment of his own.

"Am I?"

John only gave her a slight smile, neither affirmative nor negative to her question. But her eyes were searching him for an answer, hoping for some wisdom in his military expertise. Somehow, not even military expertise could prepare one for something like this. John brought both hands up and brushed her hair behind her ears. She should never have had to experience what she did. Not for the first time, he wished he could have taken her place.

When he looked into her eyes, he saw a spirit nearly broken. And John whispered the words that he hoped would rescue her one more time.

"Elizabeth, you know I would never leave you."

* * *

FIN 


End file.
